Expandable finger ring



Feb. 14, 1961 M. BEIZER EXPANDABLE FINGER RING Filed March 10, 1958 FIG.3.

FIGJ.

INVENTOR. MECHEL BEIZERV Ari-annex 2,911,354 EXPANDABLE FINGER RING Mechel Beizer, 146l2 N. Hempstead Turnpike, Flushing, N.Y.

Filed, Mar. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 720,294

2.Claims. .(Cl. 63-15.5)f

Ordinarily, the finger-receiving opening of a finger ring must be made sufliciently largeto enable it tobe slipped over the second joint of the finger. Thus, after the ring is in place, the size of the opening is substantially larger than the portion of the finger on which it is supported. Aside from the fact that such can result in the accidental loss of the ring, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the ring in the proper position upon the finger. This is particularly true in the case of rings having unusually large or heavy settings, in which case the rings tend to rotate upon the finger out of the preferred centered position. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a finger ring that is extremely simple in construction, attractive in appearance, and which will overcome the aforementioned difiiculties.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable finger ring which can be sufficiently enlarged to enable it to be easily moved over the second joint of the finger, even though the joint be swollen or'otherwise enlarged as by arthritis, etc., following which the size of the finger-receiving opening of the band is reduced so as to snugly secure the ring in the proper position upon the finger.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a finger ring having an adjustable band that can be enlarged during the application of and removal of the ring relative to the finger, but which is reduced in size while it isrin actual use so as to increase the comfort of the wearer and prevent the accidental loss thereof which might otherwise occur in the case of a ring which could easily slip over the joint of the finger without knowledge to the wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a finger ring of the above type having self-contained and completely hidden latch means for effecting the aforementioned adjustment, such latch means being completely hidden from sight and not interfering with the beauty of the ring or the comfort of the wearer.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a finger ring made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a left end view of the ring shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a right end view of the ring shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the ring shown in Fig. l in an adjusted position.

.Fig. 5 is a left end elevational view of the adjusted ring shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a right end elevational view of the ring structure shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, a finger ring 10 made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a main nimd states O Patented Feb. 14, 1961 segmental annular band portion 12 having a mounting 14 for supporting a gem 15.

One end of the main segmental annular band portion 12 is bifurcated to provide a pair of spaced parallel legs 17 having a space 18 therebetween. An outwardly extending web 20 carried by one end of an auxiliary segmental annular band portion 21 is received within the space 18 and rotatably connected to the main segmental annular band portion 12 by means of a transversely extending pin 23.

The opposite end of the main segmental annular band portion 12 is also bifurcated to provide a pair of spaced parallel arms 25 having an enlarged space 26 therebetween. The opposite end of the auxiliary segmental annular band portion 21 is also provided with an enlarged tongue 28 which is slidably received within the space 26 between the arms 25 of the main segmental annular band portion 12.

As is more clearly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the tongue 28 is provided with an elongated arcuate slot 29 which has a center of curvature coincident with the longitudinal axis of the pivot pin 23 at the one end of the connected main and auxiliary band portions. A transversely extending bar 30 carried by the outermost ends of the arms 25 of the main band portion is slidably received within the slot 29 so as to enable the auxiliary band portion to be selectively moved between the normally closed position shown in Fig. 1 and the adjusted position 21a shown in Fig. 4. This bar 30 acts against the innermost side of the slot defining portion of the tongue 28 so as to exert a slight radially inwardly directed force thereon. The innermost terminal portion of the slot 29 is provided with a slightly offset radially inwardly extending indent 32 which is arranged to receive the bar 30 when the open auxiliary band portion 21a is moved to the fully closed position 21 shown in Fig. 1. Thus, the seating of the detent or bar 30 within the recess or indent 32 releasably secures the auxiliary annular band portion in the normally closed position.

In actual use, the ring is held in the position shown in Fig. 4, whereupon it may be readily placed over the second joint of the finger into its proper position, and following which the open auxiliary segmental annular band portion 21a is moved to its fully closed position. This will cause the ring so snugly engage the finger and prevent it from twisting out of place or slipping off of the finger. In the event that it is desired to move the ring from the finger, it is only necessary to exert a squeezing pressure upon the diametrically opposite sides of the auxiliary band or shank portion 21 so as to release the detent from the indent, following which a slight pull upon the auxiliary band portion will enable it to be moved to the open position 21a shown in Fig. 4. The thumb or one of the other fingers of the ring hand may be used to hold the ring in position while the other hand is used to effect this squeezing and pulling action.

It will be noted that even when the ring is enlarged for applying it to or removing it from the finger, it maintains its closed annular shape so that it cannot inadvertently drop from the finger while it is being manipulated. Furthermore, when the ring is in the fully closed position, all of the joints are completely smooth and virtually impossible to detect while the ring is upon a finger. Thus, while the overall appearance of the ring is in no way adversely affected, a self-contained and readily manipulated safety mechanism has been provided that will facilitate the application of and removal of the ring relative to the finger and which will maintain the setting in the proper position at all times while reducing the risk of loss of the ring while it is being worn.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such-is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A finger ring comprising, in combination, an adjustable band, said band including a first segmental annular band portion, a second segmental annular band portion, hinge means pivotally connecting one end of said first segmental annular band to one end of said second segmental annular band portion for movement between a partially open and a fully closed position, and retaining means releasably securing the opposite ends of said first and second segmental annular band portions together in said fully closed position, said retaining means comprising a detent carried by said opposite end of one of said segmental annular band portions, and an indent in said opposite end of the other one of said segmental annular band portions for releasably receiving said detent, said opposite end of said one segmental annular band portion being bifurcated to define a pair of spaced apart arms, said opposite end of said other segmental annular band portionhavin'g a tongue extending into the space between said arms of. said one band portion, said detent being secured to said arms, and said indent being defined by said tongue, said indent comprising an elongated arcuate slot within the confines of said tongue, said detent comprising a bar extending across said arms and through said slot for sliding engagement by the slot-defining portions of said tongue. i

2. A finger ring as set forth in claim 1, wherein said slot has a radially olfset portion receiving said bar in response to movement of said secondsegrnental annular band portion to said fully closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 25,172 Bogert Aug. 23, 1859 862,197 Pryor Aug. 6, 1907 1,128,084 Wilcoxon Feb. 9, 1915 1,296,435 Schmidt Mar. 4, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS 994,931. France Aug. 14, 1951 

